Of Gods, Men, and Wolves
by Cero de Grenada
Summary: When Thor asked where Fandral had gone, Heimdall replied that he had "no idea" and stated that he was "unable to see him". Meanwhile, a pyromaniac does her best to stay off the radar of the Avengers and, more importantly, her aunt. But "the best-laid schemes o' mice an' men/Gang aft agley" and suddenly the two find themselves the victims of a certain blue blur and a few red hexes.
1. Chapter 1

"Someone stole it!" Tony shouted. F.R.I.D.A.Y. sounded the alarm, announcing to all resident Avengers that a thief had stolen a control for one of the IronMan suits. "Someone broke into _my_ tower and stole it!" He sounded more baffled than concerned. How did anyone sneak past the security he had wired and double knotted and made and paid? How did they get by F.R.I.D.A.Y., of all people and things?

"Do you know which way they went? What they looked like?" Steve asked. Tony shook his head, staring at the empty space in shock.

"It was a woman, I believe," F.R.I.D.A.Y. answered. "After tracking her by traffic cameras, it seems that she is headed towards Central Park."

"Central Park?" Tony asked. "Why there?"

"Enough talking - Avengers - !" Before Captain America finished speaking a silver-blue blur shot out of the room. He closed his eyes and bit back an exasperated sigh. "Let's go before he hurts himself again." Wanda didn't need a second command. Worry pooled in her stomach as Vision and she hurried out of Stark Tower. He hooked his arms under hers and lifted her into the skies; a minute later Captain America revved onto the street on his kick-ass motorcycle. But even as they geared themselves up, they saw the blur flash by the opposite way.

"He's returned," Vision stated, turning them around. Wanda let out a relieved laugh.

"So it would seem," Steve agreed. He spun his motorcycle around and sped back the short distance to Stark Tower.

* * *

"That was fast," Tony remarked as Pietro unceremoniously dumped a young woman on the floor. She wore nothing out of the ordinary, didn't look like some insane criminal. Short black hair, zip-up sweatshirt, jeans, tennis shoes. Just like any other person wandering through New York.

"Captain talks too much," he answered, pacing around the woman. "Who are you?" he asked, blue eyes cold on her form. The older twin tossed the suit control to Tony, who panicked at the flying object and barely caught it before it smashed on the ground. The woman looked up at Pietro and started to stand. She opened her mouth to speak, and then leaned over and vomited. Pietro smirked. "Too fast for you?"

"Fuckin' asshole," she muttered, wiping her mouth on her sweatshirt sleeve. Her eyes flashed gold in the cold lights of Stark Tower as she glared at Pietro. "I'm looking for Thor."

"Why?" Pietro asked.

"Not your concern, Roadrunner."

"Answer him!" Tony ordered.

Still on her knees, she tilted her head at Tony. "Mr. Stark?" Tony folded his arms and nodded. "Okay, let me explain myself..."

And then Wanda, Vision, and Captain America burst into the room. "Halt!" Captain shouted.

Pietro rolled his eyes and Tony had to stifle a mocking laugh at Captain's rather late and rather out of place order. "You are slow," the Maximoff boy stated. Wanda moved around the woman to stand close to her brother. She touched his hand, and he responded by giving hers a squeeze before releasing it and continuing his pacing. "You were explaining yourself, no?"

"Yes, yes..." She rubbed her eyes. "Damn, just a second..."

"What's wrong?" Vision asked, concern lacing his voice.

"I am too fast," Pietro repeated with his smug smile. Wanda let her exasperation flicker out and graze him. He winked at his sister and then turned a hard gaze onto the now-standing woman in the center of the room.

"Hope you're not that fast in bed," she retorted, and then turned to Tony. "I stole that to get your attention. Thor's attention, actually." She glanced around. "But obviously he's not here..."

"What do you need with Thor?" Steve asked.

The woman answered, "I have an Asgardian at home, and he's kind of... homesick. I don't know how to help him get back."

Pietro laughed. "You expect us to believe that?"

"She is telling the truth," Wanda cut in. Vision nodded. Tony and Steve looked between the two, and then to Pietro, whose brow knitted together. "I can see him in your mind. His name is...?"

She blinked. "Fandral. Or Robin Hood. He responds to either now." She touched her head and continued to stare at Wanda. "Should I feel violated?"

"Your name is Grey Potts."

The woman blanched at that, and Tony's mouth dropped. "Yeah," she admitted, "It is." She glance over to Tony and gave a little wave. "Hey, Uncle Stark."

"Hey," he responded, voice flat.

No one said anything more. Save for Pietro, they all just stared at her, not entirely sure how to proceed. He continued to pace in the silence. But when no one said anything for a solid thirty seconds, he finally turned to Tony and asked, "Well? Where is Thor?" Why wait around? Everything was said.

"I, uh... Give me a second." Shaking his head, Tony Stark exited the room and climbed the stairs.

Pietro glared at Stark's receding form. Then he turned his eyes upon the rest of the room and asked, "Well? We go now, yes?"

"Hold on, Pietro," Captain cautioned.

"Tony has gone to signal Thor," Vision supplied the impatient twin. "I suspect he will arrive shortly and then you all may go retrieve this... Fandral."

"The Dashing."

"What?" Steve asked.

Grey gave them an awkward smile. "Fandral the Dashing is his full title." Silence. Pietro began tapping his foot. The sound pattered on the floor, almost like sixteenth notes in some fast-paced metal song. Vision tilted his head and stared at the foot in wonder. Was it customary for humans to twitch so much? When the silence continued into an awkward phase Grey broke it. "So... how is everyone?"

"Fine," Pietro answered. Steve simply grunted. Wanda nodded.

"We are well. Can you stand?" Vision questioned.

"Oh, yeah." Grey got to her feet and clasped her hands in front of her, rocking on the balls of her feet. "Uh... So... you're fast," she began, returning Pietro's gaze.

The young man smirked. "You did not see that coming?"

She narrowed her eyes at his smug smirk. Just as she opened her mouth to insult his indecisive hair, they all felt the _whoosh_ of the Bifrost striking the roof of Stark Tower. Her eyes lit up. "Is that him?" But even as Grey asked Wanda felt foreboding wisp around the woman.

"It sure is," Steve answered. He jerked his head towards the stairs. "Let's get going before the kid pops a circuit." Grey took her turn to smirk at Pietro, who simply returned the gesture. Wanda exchanged a glance with Captain, both wondering where this venture would take the loose family beginning to form at Stark Tower.

* * *

The house Grey lived in looked ready to retire. It dipped in one direction, towards the empty lot next door filled with flowers and knee-high weeds. A fire pit sunk in the ground, but judging by the soot streaked up the opposite side of the house was regularly ignored. Grey motioned them all to follow her. She jiggled the rusty doorknob and swung the door inwards to reveal a clean and inviting house, a stark contrast to the outside dump. From the entry way they could see the living room and a short hallway leading to the kitchen and stairs. As they looked around Grey called,

"Yo, Robin Hood, I found King Richard!"

"Grey? Who is King Richard?" Feet pounded down the stairs and they heard the sound of bare feet slapping on the tiled floor. A figure rounded the corner of the hall and then stopped in his tracks. Blond hair adorned his face and the top of his head in a sweeping, prince-like fashion, a green t-shirt hugged his chest, and he wore ragged old jeans that made him fit in with the rest of Midgard. But there was no mistaking the enormity of his figure, the corded muscles tensing for a fight, the light in his eyes that signaled a sense of humor and fun. There could be no doubt about the grin that graced his face the moment he saw Thor standing in the doorway. This man was Asgardian, through and through.

"Fandral!" Thor exclaimed, opening his arms and stepping over to his friend. "Have you been here this entire time?" The two embraced in the manliest bear hug ever witnessed on Earth. Grey folded her arms and leaned against the wall, a smile on her face. "Heimdall said he could not see you!" Thor said, releasing his friend but keeping his hands on Fandral's shoulders. "No one knew where you had gone. What happened?"

"Oh, _I_ can explain that!" Grey spoke up, a mischievous grin plastered across her face.

Fandral scowled and turned on her. "Grey, I swear by the Nine Realms if you - ,"

"Prince Charming here bedded Heimdall's daughter, forgot her name, and then got himself temporarily exiled to Midgard!" Grey blurted out, edging away from the Asgardian warrior. She fixed innocent eyes on him. "What's that look for? Don't be mad, Robin Hood!" Fandral sprung forward, but she moved just a hair quicker and eluded his grasp. "Is that how you repay your host?"

"Get over here, you insolent -,"

"Insolent? Insolent what? Quick now - before the realms realign!"

He sputtered something unintelligible and launched himself after her. Pietro laughed, watching the two tear around the house. They reminded him of himself and Wanda. Thor looked a bit at a loss, not used to seeing Fandral act so...undignified. Wanda enjoyed the sheer joy and playfulness rolling off the two as Grey evaded Fandral's hands, glad that this woman wasn't the villain they originally thought. Steve, on the other hand, was a bit tired of these shenanigans. He reached out and grabbed Grey by the collar when the pair made another lap around the house.

Fandral tried to skid to a stop. Instead he bowled into Captain America and sent the three of them tumbling outside the front door onto the grass. "Sorry," the Asgardian warrior apologized, getting to his feet and offering the Captain a hand. "She gets the best of my nerves."

"I can see how," the Captain replied, taking the offer of help. He hoisted himself to his feet and brushed off his pants. Thor and the twins still stood in the battered old house, watching the three of them regain their posture.

Grey leaped to her feet and immediately his behind Fandral's broad torso. The blonde warrior glanced back and then widened his stance and folded his arms. When he looked at Thor, something darker lurked behind his eyes. "There may be a complication to returning home," he informed Thor. "See, there is another reason as to why I could not be seen that has to do with your brother... There is another Asgardian here that wishes to see her home for the first time." Thor's face darkened. He narrowed his eyes at Grey and placed his hand on his hammer. "I know this may come as a shock, but I assure you she has my trust. This," he said, placing his hand on Grey's back and urging her forward to stand beside him, "Is Grey Potts, Lokidotter."

Pietro and Wanda glanced at each other, the name lost on them. But Thor and Steve looked about ready to engage Ultron. "She cannot come to Asgard!" Thor rumbled.

"Like hell she can stay on Earth!" Steve snapped at the same time. United in their mistrust and hostility, the pair ignored their contradicting words and raised their hammer and shield respectively. Grey flinched and glanced at the ground. At that Wanda stepped forward and stood on her other side. The two furrowed their brows, but they kept their weapons raised. "Wanda, you don't know what her father did," Steve began.

"I know that children should not be blamed for what their parents did," she replied evenly. Pietro darted over to stand next to her. If anyone touched his sister, they were dead. Steve and Thor surveyed the twins. "Can we not talk about this?" she pleaded. Fandral wrapped his arm around Grey and pulled her close to his side, lifting his chin in challenge. Around this new woman the three stood like an impenetrable wall.

After a few seconds the weapons lowered. "Fine." Thor glanced around. "But perhaps we should talk at Stark Tower. I want to hear your tale, Fandral, before I hear hers."

Steve nodded. Pietro looked at them. Even this was getting a bit long. Too much talking. "Back to the Tower? _Xopowo._ " He lifted Wanda into his arms and shot away without another word.

"Damn," Grey muttered. Fandral stared after them with wide eyes.

"Truly Midgardians are amazing."

Steve ducked his head and went to motorcycle. "You know the way, I trust?" he asked as he started the engine. "And you have transportation?" The last thing he wanted was Loki's daughter riding with him.

Grey and Fandral glanced at Thor. "Permission, sir?" she asked, voice small. Thor fixed her with a hard gaze. He knew the stories - Erik Selvig had shown him the stories Midgard had of Asgard. He knew about Ragnarok. He knew about Fenrir. But he relented. The stories did not have everything correct. Perhaps this was one of the mistakes.

At Thor's incline of his head, Grey jumped up in excitement. "Meet you there, Captain! Thor!"

Fandral stepped back, excitement gracing his features. Grey shook her head like a dog, and then suddenly her entire body burst open to give way to a giant black wolf. Its tongue lolled as it shook out its pelt. Then it looked back at Fandral, eyes shining and unmistakably Grey's. "Let's go!" he shouted, hoisting himself onto her back. She howled and bounded forward.

Steve watched them, mouth slightly ajar. Did he just see a werewolf? Thor smirked at him. "There are many Frost Wolves in Jotunheim. That is not an uncommon sight." He spun his hammer and shot away.

Steve rolled his eyes. "The toaster frightened _you_. Cut me some slack." He kicked the bike to life and sped away.

* * *

Naturally, Pietro and Wanda returned to Stark Tower first. Thor came at a close second. He landed on the top of the tower whereas Pietro shot straight through the front doors and up to where Tony waited in his lab with Pepper. She had a hand on his back, and judging by the slight panic in his eyes Tony had just gotten over another attack. "We are back," Pietro announced. Wanda set her feet on the floor and stood, shoulder brushing her brother's.

"I can see that, Sonic."

"You are not happy to see me, Eggman?"

Tony gave him a smirk. Finally, he understood the nickname, which meant his pop culture lessons were getting through to at least half of the twins. "Where's the rest of everyone? Back to Asgard already? Were you two not worthy enough?" Pepper gave him a glare. He smiled back, the panic in his eyes receding. "And dumb-bot, you missed a spot." The robot whirred and slunk over to where Grey had vomited. Its joints bent and it half heartedly wiped a wet rag on the floor before straightening. Then it uselessly dropped the rag and rolled away. Tony set his head in his hands and sighed. "That one certainly isn't worthy."

"You are all worthy of Asgard," came Thor's booming voice. The god stepped into the lab, his form dwarfing the science equipment. "And no, there seems to be a complication with returning to Asgard. My friend Fandral has stumbled in his honor in the sight of our Watcher, and the woman, Grey, may not be welcome there."

"Why not?" Pepper asked.

"She is Loki's daughter," Thor answered. Tony and Pepper stiffened.

"Who is Loki?" Wanda asked. "Everyone seems to know him."

Thor finally asked, "Why do they not know? I thought all of Earth knew about New York."

Tony rubbed his forehead. "Probably not all the details. They were in a HYDRA base, after all."

"All of Earth does not know Loki?"

Pepper left the two and stepped over to the twins. "You know about the New York attack, right?"

"Of course," Wanda answered.

"Thor's brother, Loki, the God of Mischief, was behind all of it. He was imprisoned in Asgard for a time, but he died helping Thor save the Nine Realms from Malekith the Dark Elf about two years ago. And I'm assuming you heard about that?" A nod from the twins. "Despite Loki's change of faith, I think you can see why we would mistrust anyone related to him."

"I can see why," Pietro agreed. "But has she ever even met her father? She seems to be close to that blonde man."

"Fandral," Wanda provided when Pepper looked confused. "The Asgardian warrior she is with."

Pepper nodded. She looked back at Thor, concern on her face. "I wonder how he's taking it. That must have been a shock, seeing something so close to his brother..." Wanda touched Pietro's hand. She knew what it felt like to be punch in the gut with a reminder of what you had lost. She knew the feeling too recently, too well. Pietro fixed her with a knowing, apologetic expression. She simply smiled and let her energy flicker out to comfort his guilt. Despite the grief, the shock, the entire turning of her world, above all the ecstatic joy still held of finding out he lived. In that sense, she knew herself far luckier than Thor.

When they heard a howl and the roar of Steve's bike, they all crowded to the window and looked down.

" _Grey?_ " Pepper gasped.

Tony grimaced. "I may have forgotten a small detail..."

 **Like just about everyone who saw the Avengers, I got a soft spot for the twins. So for this story, obviously, I'm adopting the alternate ending where Quicksilver makes a miraculous recovery. I also love the side characters in Thor, so therefore Fandral's getting his own little plot in here... Anyway, feel free to tell what you think. Hope you enjoyed - have a nice day!**


	2. Chapter 2

**One month earlier...**

Fandral had little idea of where he was or how he got there, but he knew that the Frost Beast before him was an enemy. It crept towards him, teeth bared. It recognized the Aesir scent. It knew the difference between the intention to kill and the intention of kindness. It knew who killed its kind.

"Hello, Frost Beast," Fandral greeted with a confident smile. His gloved hands darted to his weapon. The beast curled its lips and stomped forward, its mighty claws pounding the concrete. Its gray skin matched the gray clouds in the sky, matched the color of the surrounding streets, matched the buildings. And yet it looked so out of place without snow and ice acting as a backdrop. "My name is Fandral the Dashing. Prepare to meet your fate."

It bounded forward.

Fandral met it. As the Frost Beast pounced, the Asgardian dropped to his knees and slid straight under its belly. It landed with a mighty thunder, its weight creating a small crater in the streets, dust flying up around the scene. Fandral whipped around and lashed out with his rapier. The tip bit deep into the Ice Beast's tail, making the monster roar in pain. But when it turned, Fandral launched away. He thrust again. It roared. Again. Again. Again.

No blood flowed from the creature of ice and stone, but even so the enraged roars soon turned into a terrible screech of pain as Fandral's enchanted sword kept biting its flesh. The wound ran deep enough now that just one more swing would sever the tail. Fandral darted forward.

Too eager.

The Frost Beast jumped up. Fandral ran straight under the beast's shadow - right under the beast's belly. It came down.

As the shadow descended, Fandral witnessed a few precious faces flash before his eyes. Sif, Thor, Volstagg, Hogun, Loki. His closest friends.

And then a new shadow tore through his vision.

His back slammed into the ground, driving the breath from him. But the sun blinded him when he tried to see. Gasping for breath, the warrior pushed himself up just enough to figure out what in the Nine Realms had just happened. Through the dust, he saw the two figures whirling, fighting, lashing. A snarl reached his ears. The smaller of the figures threw itself at the face of the Frost Beast, making it rear onto its hind legs and rise out of the dust.

Fandral watched the wolf in awe. It hung onto the Frost Beast's horn with its jaws, slashing at the Beast's eyes with hooked claws. The Beast swung its head against a building. The wolf hung on. It sprung forward into another building, but this time it crushed the wolf against the wall. A high-pitched yelp split the air. With another violent jerk the Beast threw the wolf to the ground.

"Get up!" Fandral shouted. The Frost Beast whipped around, eyes wide. Apparently it had forgotten about him until he so stupidly called out to his rescuer. "Damn you," he muttered to himself. He got into a crouch, rapier held out. "That's right, come towards me. We'll see who is the better warrior." He began stepping to the side, eyes flicking to the shifting form of the wolf. The Frost Beast followed him. It lowered its head to the ground and crept forward like a snake following its prey.

The wolf shot up. It opened its jaws and snapped them shut on the end of the Frost Beast's tail. With a mighty pull the tail came off.

Fandral grinned and lunged forward as the beast reared back. He lifted his rapier and cut the beast from throat to navel, its body dropping open like a burdened brick wall. He dove between its legs and landed in a crouch. The beast let out a pitiful sound and then dropped to the ground with a heavy slam, shaking the wolf and Asgardian.

Fandral let out a sigh and looked over to the wolf. He opened his mouth to call to the animal, when suddenly its bones cracked and the fur fell back. Much to his surprise, it left a woman curled up in the rubble. "My Lady?" he called, striding over to her. He had seen something like this once before. His eyes widened when he saw the clothes she wore, and it confirmed his suspicions. Frost Wolf. He must be on Jotunheim. But why did it look so... gray and stoney and warm rather than icy and frosty and... ice-giantey?

But when she let out a groan and sat up all questions left his mind. "My Lady, are you hurt?"

Dazed golden eyes blinked at him. Realization crossed them and she nodded, hand covering her side. Fandral saw blood seeping through her clothes, staining the intricate gold design that curled along her arms and sides and then up again, ending as Yggdrasil over her chest. Unlike most Frost garb, however, this shirt was gold and green rather than blue and black. She pulled a cloth from her pocket and made to clean up her wound.

"Who are you?" Fandral asked, taking the cloth from her hands. She stared at him for a few moments as he carefully lifted her shirt to reveal the red gash in her side. He gently pressed the cloth to it.

"Grey. Grey Lokidotter. And you are?"

Fandral almost choked on his own spit. "Lokidotter!?"

She grinned, eyes sparking. "You know my father? I knew you looked like a god!"

If he had been more versed in Midgardian dating culture, he may have leaped upon that line and never let her forget that she had uttered the words. "I am from Asgard, yes. And so are you!"

"No, I've never been to Asgard. Can you take me there?"

"Wait - where are we?"

"London. Er, Midgaaar - ," she broke off in a growl when Fandral jerked in surprise and jabbed her wound.

"Ah! I'm sorry, I just - ,"

"Just let go! I got it!" she said, flinching away from him. He held his hands up and sat back, shock seeping into his brain. As she held the cloth to her wound, she pushed herself up to stand on the rubble. "We should go, before the police get here. I'm sure we've already been caught on camera, but let's not get too friendly with everyone..."

Fandral nodded numbly. Midgard. This sounded a bit too similar to Thor's adventure... In fact...

Before they moved away, Fandral looked up at the sky. "Heimdall?" he called. "Heimdall?" No answer. Just the honking and humming of London. He kept staring, hoping. He couldn't be stuck this far from home. He couldn't. He knew he deserved it, but he still didn't know how to deal with it. Why hadn't he thought the entire night through - why, of all women, did he go for the beautiful Heimdotter?

A hand touched his back. He looked down and saw Grey. "Don't worry, I have a plan," she informed him. She winked and then jerked her head towards the alley, hand still on her side. "What's your name?" she asked as they headed away from the fallen Frost Beast. Fandral noticed the rock she had in her hand and he smiled; just a souvenir from the Frost Beast.

"Fandral the Dashing," he answered.

"Pleasure to meet you." She stopped them in the alley. Glancing around, she swallowed, scuffed a foot, and then looked up at Fandral. "Loki?"

Fandral let out a sigh. "He is dead." He had always been told to not sugar-coat death.

"Oh." She scratched the back of her head. Then she pointed behind her and continued on her way, expecting him to follow.

But he had more to say.

Fandral caught her arm. "I'm so sorry. He was helping us - the Dark Elves had just attacked and so many... Queen Frigga..." He shook his head and glared at the ground. "If I had been stronger, faster... I shouldn't have let them go alone. A better warrior - I should have been able to stop the Elves. Malekith. The infinity stone - we should have known - I knew the story. If I were adequate - why I didn't say anything... I don't - I'm sorry," he whispered, finally looking up at her. So useless. Inadequate. The real reason Fandral the Dashing jested, drank, bedded anything with a humanoid face, never let himself remember their names, because he felt that he fell so short of Asgard's glory and virtue. In a short span he lost Queen Frigga, a mother figure, and then Loki, like a little brother to him despite the two betrayals. He couldn't live up to his title as part of the Warriors Three. He was the only one to get injured on Jotunheim. He was useless against the Destroyer.

Guilt, loathing, desperation. Not waving but drowning.

When he looked up at Grey Lokidotter he saw a look of pure confusion. He couldn't even explain things correctly. Fandral let her arm drop from his hand. Perhaps he should not have said anything.

Upon seeing the disbelief on his face Grey grabbed his shoulders and turned him around. "See that Frost Beast?"

"Yes."

She spun him around and took his hand, raising it to her wounded side. His fingertips touched the blood stain. "You saved me and probably all of London by killing the beast before they called in Tony Stark and leveled the city. If you're inadequate, then don't ever change."

* * *

 **Post Age of Ultron Final Battle...**

Wanda sat outside the door, staring past the floor of the helicarrier. Red pulsed around her, a constant moving wave like that of a writhing dragon, driving the braver of souls away from the medical bay. Only nurses and doctors ran in and out. Most of the citizens had escaped unharmed, but medical personnel still moved up and down the lines of shocked civilians. If they could help, they would. They knew only so many could help work life back into the body of Pietro Maximoff. Once they sparked back the flame, they just had to keep it sustained. Too much kindling and it would snuff out.

Another body flopped down beside Wanda. Her pulsating energy signaled to her brain that Captain America sat next to her, as tired, strained, and exhausted as she. "Dr. Cho will save him," he stated. She simply nodded. Everyone kept saying that, but it didn't put her mind at ease. No one could feel Pietro's erratic, bright energy hanging dead around his limp body, they couldn't feel the cold sucking at his soul. "There's the kid he saved," he pointed out. Wanda looked up to see a boy in the arms of his mother, being rocked back and forth as they clutched each other. A small smile touched her lips. "And I know you haven't met them, but Clint has a family. He saved their father. Saved Laura's husband."

But she shook her head. "I do not care if he is a hero. I want him to be my brother."

"And he'll be both. Just wait, you'll see. He'll come walking out of this with that arrogant smile on his face."

She knew he meant the best in his words, but they did not soothe the empty pit she felt in her stomach. Behind the doors, she could feel Pietro's life ebbing away, going from the warm and erratic presence she knew so well into a cold, unfamiliar slumber. If it slunk away entirely, she knew she would become forever bent, misshapen. No words could straighten her.

For his part, though, Steve Rogers knew how empty the words sounded. Hadn't people said that to him about his mother, his father? And yet they had still slipped away, resting quietly now in that churchyard back in Brooklyn. He meant every word he had spoken and believed every single one, but he knew that did nothing in the real world. After all, just look at Ultron. Tony's best intentions had twisted into this horrible mess. Words cannot save the lives of those already wounded, already stricken.

He reached out and touched her hand. She stiffened, but he kept his hand where it rested, with just the tips of his fingers touching the back of her hand. After a few moments she turned her hand over. Steve set his head against the wall and closed his eyes, hoping his calm would rub off on her.

Flatline.

Wanda jerked forwards. Steve leaped to his feet, eyes wide. "Pietro!" she gasped, scrambling to the door. He tried to catch her but his fingers just grazed her back as she burst into the room. "Pietro!" One nurse turned away from his body and started towards Wanda, but she pushed past them and knelt next to his head. The other nurses and doctors ignored her. They kept glancing to his vitals as they tried everything to get his heart back up.

She reached out and touched his temples, trying so hard to tug back that life-force, that energy. It couldn't be gone. How could something so lively just... stop existing? How could Pietro Maximoff stop living?

But it happened. Wanda lifted her head and looked down at her brother. _Never, now_ , is all she could think. Everything about Pietro would be shadowed by the words "never again".

* * *

The moment Dr. Cho found out about Quicksilver's death, she practically pushed her organ cradle down everyone's throats. "I'll make him live!" she told everyone. Tony cracked a joke about Frankenstein, but a death glare from her made him sulk away like a kicked dog. Everyone agreed, except Wanda. She didn't think it would work. So she told them to proceed. No matter how she tried to share everyone else's optimism, she couldn't believe in a second chance, not after everything that had happened. So she learned how to live without her brother.

* * *

 **Five Years Earlier...**

A man with long raven hair, flashing emerald eyes, a helmet defined by golden curving horns, and a fierce scepter paced in front of her. Grey watched him pace. She knew she should feel panic, should be screaming for her Aunt Pepper. But she simply felt curious. "You are not normal," he simply stated. His eyes met her, and he smirked. _That_ made her shiver. "But you know that," he said, glancing over at the matches by her bedside table and then looked at the burned stuffed animals in a corner. "But do you understand _why_ and _how_ you are not normal?"

"Chemical imbalance? No father figure?" she answered. That's at least what her therapist told her.

He chuckled and shook his head. "It is not your... admiration of fire that I refer to. Rather, it is the deep longing you feel. Do not try to argue. You know of what I speak. You cannot resist the touch of the moon on your shoulders, the cold of snow and frost, the urge to run, and the beckoning of the wild nights."

She scratched her head, keeping her eyes fixed on his feet. Even though he struck home and he knew it, she didn't want him to see it on her face. "Okay, so there's the how. What is the why?"

The man paused. "Do you know who I am?"

She shook her head.

"You will soon," he informed her with another chilling smirk. Although she rather liked the chills running up and down her spine. "But before I tell you the how, I need to tell you one teensy, tiny detail about your father. You probably will not believe me now, but give perhaps... five seconds after I show you how you are not normal, and you will believe my every word." With that he leaned forward, beckoning her with his fingers as if about to divulge top secret information. "I am the God of Mischief, Loki. And you, Grey, are my daughter. The name I chose for you was Fenrir, but your mother and I always disagreed over such trivial things as names..."

Grey laughed. "You're right. I don't believe you. Now please leave my room, strange man."

"I shall. But first..."

He rushed forward and jabbed her chest with his scepter. The mind gem flashed and he directed it through her, into her brain, and guided it towards the path all Frost Wolves are taught to unlock. "My gift to you, my daughter," he whispered, and then vanished.

Grey gasped for breath, the blue shining through her skin shrinking back down to her chest, and then she blacked out.

Not for long. Within a few seconds she sprang from her bed. Power coursed through her limbs, and she felt the call stronger than ever. To the night. To the frosts. The rest she didn't remember. Every change after that got better until she could remember as many details as in her human form and could think through her situations like a rational being. But the first time...

She woke up in her room, clothes tattered. Groaning, she sat up. Something dropped to the floor, making her look over in confusion. Clothes? Reaching down to pick them up, she jumped when a paper magically appeared. _Made by elves. These will not tear. -Your Father_

Loki. Father.

Shaking her head, she went to lay back down. And then she caught sight of red out of the corner of her eyes. Her blood froze. No. No. She leaned forward and stopped breathing for a few moments. Two cats, or what was left of them, had their entrails spilled on the floor. Their fur littered everything. A dead snarl twisted their faces, their throats torn out. Grey rested back. At least now she knew why she hated cats and cats hated her... Should she be panicking about this? Grey sat up again and stared out the window. She should be. Normal people would. But then again, hadn't that been the whole point of it? To explain why and how she wasn't normal?

She rubbed her eyes. How could she explain this to Pepper? She was already so stressed working at Stark Towers... telling her she was the daughter of Norse God would _not_ go over well, especially with two dead cats smeared all over her floor. The clock read seven in the morning. Pepper was long gone by now. Grey crossed over and checked her phone. on the hope that maybe some technology god had sent her his goodwill through a text.

Or cursed her through the news.

Three dead. Animal attack. Nearby.

* * *

 **Two Months after Age of Ultron Final Battle...**

Dr. Cho's machine truly performed miracles. Pietro, announced dead before he even reached the helicarrier, managed to slip back into the world under the machine's precise care.

It took him a month and a half to wake up. He didn't wake up quietly.

His eyes snapped open and he let out a hoarse shout as he struggled away from the cords and sheets tangling his body. He fell out of the bed with a crash, eyes still flitting with worlds indescribable by language. Panic clutched at his chest. His heart threatened to flutter out of his mouth and his hands searched for anything familiar.

"Pietro!" someone gasped.

He twisted around, sweat plastering his hair to his forehead, eyes wide and hazed. Wanda dropped down next to him and hugged him. Pietro latched onto her, burying his face into her shoulder, chest heaving, but the panic and terror gradually subsiding. The twins held onto each other, both clinging onto their lifeline, their other half.

"Speedy?" another voice asked.

Pietro lifted his head to see Tony Stark grinning like a madman. "Stark," Pietro greeted, voice gravelly from disuse.

"Call me Tony. We've practically been roommates for over a month, I think we can use first names." He crossed the room. "Why don't we get you back into bed? F.R.I.D.A.Y., can you please alert Dr. Cho? And maybe get another doctor up here right now?"

"Yes, Mr. Stark," the new AI replied.

"I don't want to sleep," Pietro protested.

"No one said anything about sleeping. The floor will give you a cold," Wanda told him.

He smiled. Their mother used to say that. Suppressing a groan of pain, he pushed himself to his knees. Wanda and Tony grabbed him and helped him the rest of the way, forcing him to lay back on the bed. The floor spun. Closing his eyes to keep down the nausea, he asked, "Where is the old man?"

"Back home," Tony replied. "You know they named their son after you?"

Pietro opened his eyes at that and tried to sit up. "No," Wanda ordered, pushing him back down.

"Why would they name their son Quicksilver?" he asked.

Tony belted out a laugh. "You're really stuck on that name, aren't you?"

"Of course. We are the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver," Pietro asserted. Wanda brushed his hair from his eyes tenderly. The conversation had happened on their way to Sokovia. Tony insisted that everyone needed a cool name, doing his best to lighten up the smothering tension looming around all of their throats. Promptly Clint had responded with a few choice words for the twins, earning a slap from Natasha. Bruce put out a few names, but Pietro shot all them down.

"What do you think, then?" Tony had finally asked him in exasperation. To which Pietro smirked and told them what he had been thinking. Everyone except Tony had thought that they were badass names, but no one really cared for Tony's opinion.

"Mr. Maximoff!" a doctor greeted, pushing into the room, cheeks red and hair in disarray. Obviously he had come running. "It's good to see you awake!" He glanced at Tony and Wanda. "You, out," he told Stark, who pouted. "You can stay," he told Wanda. Turning to Pietro, he said, "We're going to run through your body, make sure nothing's out of place or doing anything weird, alright? And then we'll start getting you to stand up and walk around."

"Run around," Pietro corrected, shutting his eyes. What sunk him into such exhaustion that it sucked at his bones?

"Sleep," Wanda urged in his ear, touching his forehead. He didn't resist.

That night he awoke in the same manner as he had before. Except this time he could feel the bullets tear through him again, felt the agony again. He bolted upright and clutched at his chest, panting and sweating and terrified. Much as earlier, Wanda burst into the room. "Wanda," he gasped, trying to stand.

"Shh," she urged, sitting next to him. "Lie back down, it was only a dream."

Pietro shuddered. "I don't want dreams." The pain was fake, he knew. But the fear?

Wanda drew him into a tight hug, pressing her lips to his temple as he shivered in her arms. He knew she felt his emotions, but how could he describe the cause to her? He knew this wasn't the end. He kew he would have nightmares for a long time, now that he had given his mind new ammunition in addition to their past. But perhaps they would get better, too.

Finally, he calmed down. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"For what?" He let out a small laugh and closed his eyes, still resting against her. "Do you need me to stay?" she asked. He shook his head. Pressing another kiss to his forehead, she stood. "If you need anything," she said, leaving the rest unspoken. Just reach out. Laying back down, he relaxed against the cool bed sheets. Sleep took him once more.

He was right. The nightmares did come frequently. And then they just stopped. Just like that. Pietro did not know why, but he knew that he felt much better rested now, and he was out of the infirmary a week earlier than Dr. Cho had originally planned - although that was still about two weeks to late for the impatient Pietro.

"You ready to train today?" Steve asked as he shot around the kitchen.

Pietro's eyes lit up and he looked over to Wanda, who grinned and nodded. "When does training start?" he demanded.

Steve laughed. "Let me finish my coffee, then we'll head outside." Pietro shot away. The moment he left Steve reached over to Wanda and touched her shoulder. She looked back at him, bags under her eyes. "You need to sleep," he said. She rubbed her eyes and shrugged. The first time she had taken Pietro's nightmare and had woken up screaming, it was Captain America that showed up, ready for a fight. But then he saw the look in her eye, so similar to the one he had when he woke up from the ice.

She had been holding her knees to her chest, burying her face in her knees. "Sorry," she mumbled.

Instead of answering, Steve crossed the room and sat next to her on the bed. Their shoulders brushed, and after a few moments of silence broken only by her shuddering breaths, she leaned against him.

Right now, as he touched her hand, the memory passed between them. If he ever heard her, he always ran to her. She moved her hand forward so it folded over his. "I do sleep."

Steve sighed. He could argue. He could say that Pietro could handle his own nightmares, but he also knew that she wouldn't listen. She would keep doing it, because that's what you do when you love someone. "Then take it easy today," he requested. He would take the nightmares from her if only he could.

* * *

 **Thanks to everyone who followed and favorited, and thank you for your review, Chels! I'm glad you like this so far. The next chapter will be in the present day, but I wanted to sort of show/explore what the various characters feel and went through prior to the present story line. Hope it all makes sense and you enjoyed. Have a good day, and thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Present Day**

Thor rushed down to greet the newcomers at the door, leaving Pietro and Wanda together with Pepper and Tony in the main living room of Stark Tower's penthouse. Pepper and Tony exchanged hushed words while they waited. Pietro averted his eyes from the obviously tense conversation and instead focused on Wanda. She lifted a candy into the air with her powers, flipping it over with flicks of her finger, watching it dangle and drop and rise again.

A flash of blue.

Pietro unwrapped the candy and popped it in his mouth, waiting for Wanda to turn so he could make some smug expression. Instead she sighed and leaned back against the wall. She folded her arms and stared at the elevator expectantly, almost excitedly. Huh. He sucked on the hard candy and made sure to keep his eye on who Wanda watched come through the elevator. Her mind rested elsewhere, away from Pietro. The older twin could tell because she never even glanced his way despite his unconcealed staring.

The elevator dinged. Tony and Pepper whipped their heads to the elevator and stepped apart. He guided her over to stand at the back of a couch, hoping to put some line of defense between Pepper and her long-lost niece. Mostly for the niece's sake.

Steve stepped through first. "They're on their way. Thor insisted on having Fandral push the buttons," he explained, glancing over to Wanda. The younger twin gave him a shy laugh. He crossed the room and struck up a position on the other side of Wanda, successfully shielded from Pietro's icy glare.

"Friends!" Thor's voice boomed. "Meet Fandral the Dashing, one of the best warriors Asgard has to offer!" Fandral smiled at everyone and bowed. Only Grey noted the discomfort in his eyes at the praise. She brushed her shoulder to his and then folded her arms and stared at the ground. Out of everyone's gazes, she only felt one on her. "And this," Thor continued, "Is Grey Lokidotter, the one to rescue Fandral from the terrors of Midgard!" After seeing Thor interact with his surroundings (mostly kitchen appliances), the Avengers all knew that surviving on Midgard without drawing attention was quite a feat for Asgardians. Grey offered a smile much like Fandral's.

"Lokidotter?" Vision questioned. He glanced over to Tony.

"No. Her last name is Potts," he corrected, casting his eyes towards Pepper. The woman watched Grey, who simply turned her eyes to the floor and stuffed her hands in her pockets. "Which I still am not entirely understanding. Anyone care to explain? Anyone?" He opened up his arms, waiting.

"I was actually hoping for an explanation as well," Pepper spoke. The temperature in the room seemed to drop. Fandral turned to look down at Grey, touching her side, offering her a small smile, and tilting his head towards Pepper. Pepper folded her arms. Tony did not envy Grey's situation. Wanda felt the turmoil in Pepper and in Grey, so she looked over to Steve with begging eyes. The rest of the Avengers didn't need to be here for this conversation.

Steve caught her gaze and clapped his hands together. "Why don't you three discuss this while we go get dinner ready?"

Tony snorted. "I think F.R.I.D.A.Y. has it covered. Can't get away that easily, Cap."

"I did dinner better," Vision stated. Everyone's eyebrows shot up save for Tony, who actually laughed at the humor.

"Whatever you say, kid. Alright, get outta here you bunch of awkward freaks," he told them. He wished he could leave, too.

Steve urged Wanda forward first, leaving Pietro to trail after them with a dark look on his face. Vision followed, and then Thor. But the god halted. "Fandral? Are you not coming?" he asked. Fandral shook his head and shrugged. Thor nodded slowly. "Alright, then." He exited the room, leaving the four alone to shuffle in the suffocating silence. After a few seconds, Fandral broke it.

"You raised a brave warrior," Fandral informed Pepper. "You should hear about our first encounter - a true tale of her valiance. It was in London - ,"

"Grey," Pepper said. Fandral trailed off. He and Tony exchanged looks, and the billionaire just shrugged in defeat. He knew better than to try and talk in these situations. "What have you been doing?"

Grey swallowed. "I've been... learning..."

"You can give me a better answer than that."

Grey glanced at her hands, imagining the giant black paws. "Perhaps I should show you."

"F.R.I.D.A.Y. already showed us - I don't care about that right now. What were _you_ doing when you ran away and just dropped off the face of the earth?" Pepper asked, voice cracking. Grey looked up, mouth trying to form some explanation. "I - I thought you were _dead_." She covered her mouth and shook her head. Tony place an arm around her, eyes wide at the sight of tears forming in Pepper's eyes.

"I killed those three people," Grey whispered. "I couldn't stay."

"You couldn't tell me you had to leave? You couldn't tell me what was wrong?" Pepper swallowed. "I know I'm not your mother, but I would've listened."

Grey stepped forward, "Pepper - ," She shook her head and walked away. "Pepper, wait!"

Tony caught Grey by her shoulder. "Why don't you go into the kitchen, blondie?" he addressed Fandral.

"I should stay with my friend."

"I'm fine, Fandral," Grey assured him. They stared at each other for a few moments before Fandral nodded and went after everyone else to the kitchen and dining room. Grey deflated once he left.

"Feeling pretty shitty?" Tony prompted.

"Yeah. Good observation."

Tony let his hand fall from her shoulder. "Trust me, I've been on the wrong end of this a lot, too. Just give her time. She'll want to talk eventually, it just... takes time." He furrowed his brow and scratched his neck. Time. "Let's focus on helping your friend. Everything will come together in time. Trust me, I'm fairly incompetent when it comes to relationships, but I've managed this far." He gave her a wide grin and then pointed backwards. "But I'm starved. Let's get some food before Thor and Robin Hood devour everything in sight."

* * *

With the arrival of Thor and his friend, who everyone assumed had just as enormous an appetite, what Vision really meant by cooking was ordering takeout. He dialed the numbers and requested the usual to be sent to Stark Tower. Most of the places responded quickly, familiar with this enormous call despite the long time between this one and the last.

Pietro looked into his cup and swirled the wine around. Wanda had lived two months without him, and Pietro felt the change even if she had not felt the gradual adjustment. Sure, she still sat next to him, but her attention firmly tied to Steve. The Captain entertained her with a story about him and a close friend when they were little, playing baseball in a parking lot. Pietro really didn't get the story, but Wanda laughed at it. He sipped at his wine. After a few seconds of thought he downed the rest. He stood and reached over to grab the bottle and refill his glass.

"Without food?" Wanda asked.

Pietro shrugged. The red wine filled his cup in a delightful sparkle. In Sokovia, like in many countries, it was considered rude to drink without food. "America," he replied simply. And he needed the drink to fuzz his own feelings away. He had no real reason to resent the Captain - in fact, Pietro truly did respect him. But right now he wanted to whip Steve into Central Park and leave him there with only his left shoe.

The door opened and Fandral stepped through with Pepper. Thor leaped to his feet. "Come join us!" he beckoned, pulling out chairs next to him. Fandral sat down, grinning at his friend. Pepper took her seat, completely silent. Vision watched her. He wanted to help, but he knew that sometimes a person simply had to let others work through their own problems. "You must tell me what has happened between when I last saw you and now! You simply fell from Asgard - Heimdall claimed he had no idea where you went and stated that he could not see you," Thor babbled.

Fandral's shoulders relaxed. "Of course!" The blonde warrior folded his hands together and leaned forward. "The first thing I did? I killed a Frost Beast."

"A Frost Beast!?" Thor exclaimed. Pietro flinched at the noise but kept his pessimistic thoughts to himself. "On Midgard? Did it come with you?"

Fandral laughed and shook his head. "According to Midgardian records, it had been tearing through London for days. It kept killing people with its great feet, smashing holes in building, crushing the streets. Horrible, really." He delved further into the story, regaling everyone listening with vivid details and wild feats. Grey entered the room with Tony, who veered away to take his place next to Pepper. Fandral jerked his head to Grey. "Do you need anything?" The softness in his voice made Thor blink.

"Wha? No, no. But thanks, man." She gave him a smile that even Pietro could see through. Fandral hesitated before Grey gave him an awkward gesture to continue on - the Asgardian took the hint and sprung back into his tale with enough gusto and flair to take everyone's attention off of her and place it on himself. Everyone except Pietro. Seeing the only empty chair at the end of the table next to the Sokovian, Grey slipped into it. "Hey," she greeted. "Thanks for not killing me earlier."

Pietro chuckled. "No one has ever thrown up before - why kill you when I can have some fun?"

She grimaced. "I'll keep an eye on you."

"Can't. I am too quick."

"You're sure confident, aren't you?" she commented with a grin.

Pietro smirked back and shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "Pretty women's attention does that to me." He felt Wanda look at him. Again, _now_ he has her attention. "Have you met my sister Wanda?" he asked, gesturing to her over his shoulder.

"Not formally, no. Uh..." Grey sort of waved at her around Pietro.

The older twin glanced back at his sister with pleading eyes. Hiding a scowl at him, Wanda smiled and reached around her brother to shake Grey's hand. "Wanda Maximoff. Pleasure to meet you."

Grey leaned forward to take her hand, bringing her close enough to Pietro that when he stared down at her with a smirk and raised eyebrows he could see her blush. "Likewise - I'm Grey." She leaned back, a bit further from Pietro than before. Wanda then smacked Pietro's shoulder.

"Oi! что?" Pietro asked (Translation: What?). It hadn't hurt or been a very noticeable gesture, but right now he just felt pissed at the world.

"Знаешь что!" (You know what!) she hissed. Why did he have to flirt with every pretty girl he met?

Pietro rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine. But as long as you're paying attention tell me please, how long have you and Captain been dating?" He didn't know whether he meant the words to come out as chilled as they did. But the moment the question left his lips Wanda bristled. Although, he didn't care to retract anything. "Or were you planning on never telling your brother anything about your personal life?"

Steve looked up with wide eyes. Grey glanced between the two glaring twins and suddenly found her silverware very interesting. "A month, now," Wanda snapped. Surprise lit Steve's eyes, and maybe if it weren't for the hostility crackling between the siblings he would have smiled at the affirmation of their relationship.

"And you wait until now to tell me?" He had been out of the infirmary for three weeks. Fully healed for an entire week - conscious for how long? Their conversation devolved into quick Russian, only the words "мудак" and "k чертy" fully pronounced to Steve and Grey's untrained ears. They many not know much Russian, but they recognized the "important" words. They made eye contact.

"Hey, Fandral!" Grey immediately called. The twins snapped off their heated conversation and focused on the Asgardian warrior down the table, fumes practically steaming from their heads. "Why don't you, uh... uh..."

"Make some toast?" Steve piped in.

Thor, Tony, Pepper, and Fandral stared at them like they had three heads between the two of them. "Well, if Captain America wants... toast...?" Fandral trailed off. He had never made toast. "Then... I will try..." He stood and bowed before backing away to the kitchen counter. Vision accompanied him, eyes watchful of the inexperienced Asgardian. The last thing he wanted was the fire alarms going off.

Tony asked Steve, "Why do you need toast, exactly?"

"It's... too cool of an evening...?"

"Do you have any candles and sweet n' lo?" Grey asked. "We can start a fire on the table."

Fandral turned around. "I have no idea what I am supposed to do," he confessed, raising his hands in defeat. Vision let out a sigh of relief.

"Why don't we all help?" Steve proposed. "All of us!"

"Fandral needs our help!" Grey said with conviction and leaped to her feet. Steve followed her motion "Let us go to him!"

"As long as you don't leave for good," Pepper put in, staring at Grey. The younger woman sat back down and folded her hands in her lap. Steve looked between Grey and Fandral, fingers twitching. SOo much for that. He needed a new distraction.

Then Pietro muttered something. Wanda whipped around and hissed, "I thought you were _dead!_ I never knew when you would wake up - I could either live grieving for you or move on! I thought my brother would want to live my life - was I so wrong?" Fandral's eyes got wide and he turned back to the toaster. Vision watched the twins, worry on his features. Tony and Thor shrunk down in their seats, faces paling at the strangling tension.

"I need help?" Fandral asked, voice small and unsure.

"You could at least act as if I still exist!" Pietro snapped at Wanda.

"I take your nightmares from you, and this is how you thank me?" Wanda leaped up and stormed out. Steve pushed out his chair followed after her, concern written all over his face. After a few seconds Pietro cursed and zoomed out of the room.

And then the fire alarms went off. Vision looked back to Fandral, who had his hands raised. "I do not know what I am doing!"

"Why would you not ask, as is the logical thing?" Vision questioned.

Tony requested, "F.R.I.D.A.Y., it's just toast burning. You can shut the alarms off."

"Yes, Mr. Stark."

"This was an eventful supper," Thor declared.

Fandral leaned back. "I do not think you are helping the tension."

"What was that all about?" Tony asked. "The twins - and you, too, Pepper? I feel like _I'm_ the adult here." Again, did not help the tension. Pepper got up and left too, mouth a tight line. She gave Grey a cold glare before exiting the room. Vision tightened his own lips and stared around at his dwindling companions, wondering how the human race had not already destroyed themselves. Grey set her head down on the table and just sat there. Tony imitated her.

Fandral scratched his chin. He paused, and then, "Should I continue to burn toast?"

Grey's shoulders shook with laughter. Tony turned around and pointed at him. "No. Bad god." Then he knocked his fist on the table. "Grey, up." She lifted her head and met his gaze. "You know what? I didn't really connect with you before now, but I now see our common ground. Do you know what we are? A couple of fuck ups. So let's go round up fuck up number three and go get flowers for the people we fucked over. How does that sound?"

"That would... actually be very helpful." Tony nodded and stood. Before Grey followed, she asked, "You alright here, Fandral?"

He gestured to Thor. "Do not worry, dear Grey."

She smiled at him and then ran off after Tony. Fandral watched her go, rubbing his cheek. Even though she had guessed things would go about as well as tonight had, she still offered to do go through with it to help him. Just so he could get home. "I think she wanted an excuse to see her aunt again," Vision supplied, making Fandral jump. "She was simply too scared to do so herself, and you gave her both the reason and strength to attempt to repair her relationship."

"How do you know that?"

Thor tapped Vision's forehead, making the man furrow his brow and lean away. "Mind gem," Thor explained. Fandral's eyes widened and he looked closer at the stone in the middle of Vision's head. Vision blinked at the sudden closeness. "Worry not, though. He is a very worthy holder."

Vision reached over and unplugged the toaster. "Why don't you two go and catch up?" Vision suggested. "F.R.I.D.A.Y. will inform you when the food arrives."

"Thank you, Vision," Thor said. He rested a hand on Fandral's shoulder and urged him out the door. "I would like to here how the night went that ended up with you on Midgard, if you are willing to supply the details. And I would like to know about you and Grey. Everyone else seems to be having serious conversations, so maybe we should try as well?"

Fandral sighed but nodded. "I think we need to, yes."

* * *

Pietro raced around the track, trying to run himself into the ground. All he wanted was to collapse from exhaustion so he didn't have to think about what Wanda said. If he fell into a deep enough sleep, the nightmares would evade him. It had worked before - he hoped it would work now. But the more he sweat, the more guilt filled his chest. He felt like shit. A quick shit - he gave a rueful laugh at that thought.

"Pietro!" someone called. The mutant halted his running and looked back to see Grey and Tony standing on the steps of the training room. "Come with us?" Grey asked.

He flashed over to them. "For what?"

Grey jumped back. "Jesus, that's terrifying." Pietro shrugged and raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation. "All three of us are fuck ups. Want to go buy flowers?"

"Yes."

"Wonderful," Tony said. "Let's start walking. Give everyone a chance to calm down? And don't you dare think about racing off, Sonic."

"Never, Eggman."

They exited the tower without meeting anyone. But as they walked down the street Pietro felt eyes on his back. When he looked back he saw no one, but he knew Wanda watched him. He sighed and turned forward again. Grey and Tony didn't say a word - all three walked in their own silent, guilt ridden thoughts, trying to word a proper apology in their minds. The street lamps lit their way for them. They brushed past strangers, many doing double-takes at the sight of Tony Stark walking with two college-aged kids, but they were too dumbstruck to do anything about it.

When they got to the right street Tony pointed at a shop. "This is the one. Why don't you two wait outside? I've got way more experience with this than both of you." Then he eyed Pietro. "Well... Maybe." Then he disappeared into the shop. Grey placed her hands in her pockets and looked at the cars zooming by, watched the array of drunks and sober pedestrians stumble or purposefully stride by. Pietro watched for a moment too. Then he let out a groan and smacked his head on the brick wall.

"I'm an idiot," he muttered. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the light pain in his head. "

"I can't believe I just ran away," Grey murmured. She rested her back against the wall and stared up at the sky. New York's lights blotted out the summer stars.

"We're both assholes," Pietro affirmed.

"No doubt about it," she agreed. Seeking comfort in contact, Pietro turned around so his back rested on the brick wall and brushed her shoulder with his. She sighed and leaned into his shoulder. "So what happened with you and your sister?" she asked. She didn't quite understand the contact of everything that had been spewed.

The young, silver haired man shook his head. "Long tale. But I was in a coma for sometime, and she... moved on, is how you say it?" He rubbed his eyes. "We are our only family, and I just... feel alone. How about you and Pepper?" He smirked. "I have only ever seen her that mad when Tony drank too much and tried to kiss Wanda."

Grey put her head in her hands. "Oh, god. That mental image..." Pietro laughed lightly, nudging her with his elbow. She withdrew her hands and smiled, a far off look in her gaze. The smile disappeared when she said, "After Loki showed me my... abilities, I ran away. I never said a word to Pepper. She's my aunt - she adopted me when my mother died in childbirth and..." She groaned and hit the back of her head against the brick wall. "I deserve to be hit by a bus."

"We all do." Pietro glanced at Stark inside the store, paying the cashier. "But somehow... forgiveness will be managed." Grey looked up at him, and seeing the ghost of unsaid memories in his eyes, she just nodded. She trusted those blue eyes. Pietro quirked his mouth into a gentle smile. "I meant it earlier. You are very pretty," he told her. She rolled her eyes.

"Well, thanks. But I've had a god telling me that for the past month, so you might need a new line, Quicky."

"Are you two dating?" he asked.

She laughed and shook her head. "Just friends. We can both assure you that. Although he might relate a _false_ tale about the topic."

"Good," Pietro affirmed. When she looked over at him he winked. "I have a chance then, yes?"

A bell rung. "Are you really flirting with my niece, Sonic?" Tony asked as he walked out the door, shaking his head. The bell rung again when the door swung shut. "I bought these flowers for Wanda and Pepper and not for the Three Fuck Ups. You two can do your own thing later. A quickie or two?" Tony wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Instead of answering Pietro snatched the flowers and streaked away. Tony looked down at his one empty hand and then back up at where he had disappeared to. "Damn him."

* * *

Loki held his hands behind his back and watched Fandral. He had to admit, seeing the lady's man act as a loyal friend and nothing more to a woman, especially Loki's daughter, had him viewing the man in a new light. But that changed nothing. With the right amount of coaxing, Grey would follow her father into any battle. She would fight against Thor, even if it meant fighting Fandral. And she would adopt her rightful name. Fenrir Lokidotter. Oh, yes. Loki smirked - he would make sure of that.

* * *

 **Thanks to all of those who have been favoriting and following me - it means a lot! I'm glad you've enjoyed so far, and I hope I don't disappoint you with any chapters. Thank you guys again for reading - have a nice day!**

 **-Cero**


	4. Chapter 4

Pietro found Wanda alone at the top of Stark Tower. She stood like a shadowy wraith against the night as she overlooked the New York's unflinching lights and unwavering traffic, her hair fluttering behind her in the wind. When he shut the door she glanced back at him, mouth a tight line. "I am sorry," he spoke in Russian, eyes downcast. Shame prickled his chest.

"I know," she answered.

He shot over to her. "Why didn't you tell me?" Brushing her hair upwards into the wind, he slipped the tulip behind her ear. Scarlet. When he let his hand down he wrapped his pinky around hers.

"Because you can't stop me from doing it," she answered, the twins finally meeting each other's gaze. Pietro opened his mouth to argue, but she shook her head. "I want to take them from you. I want you to be happy, brother."

"I can be happy with the nightmares. I want you happy, too. I want you healthy, safe."

"I am happy, I am healthy, and unless you push me off the tower right now, I am safe," she said with her lips twitching. Pietro smiled back. Wanda stepped forward and hugged him, her wind-blown form cold against his chest. "And you know I will never leave you."

He returned the gesture, placing a kiss on her head. "I know. I'm sorry I yelled. I was just..."

"Scared." He nodded. His grip tightened on her. He never wanted to lose her - he never wanted to leave her. "But you don't have to be. You will never be alone. That's why we are a part of the Avengers."

"I'm sorry I left you alone." She looked up at him and shook her head. She had no words, but she understood the swirl of emotions roiling through his mind, chest, stomach. The flash of the sacrifice, the terror, the few moments of guilt as he realized what he was powerless to change, and then the death. And then she felt a spark of protectiveness. "He treats you well?" Pietro asked. He knew the answer already. He just had to ask it.

"Of course," she answered with a slight laugh. She didn't need him to say his name to know that Pietro was talking about Steve.

He makes you happy, he added her unsaid words to himself, turning his head to look at the city. Once again, he thought maybe none of this was so bad. Movement drew his eyes to the ground, and he smirked when he saw two tiny figures making their way to the bottom of the tower. Tony and Grey. "Took them long enough," he stated.

Wanda peered down and let out a laugh. "You left them?"

"You were more important than them."

Wanda tilted her head a bit. "You and Grey?"

Pietro shrugged. "We will see."

Wanda nodded slowly. "A word of advice, brother." Pietro looked at her expectantly. "Do not treat her as you did other women in Sokovia. I do not think Fandral would take kindly to it, and therefore Thor. And if Thor does not take it well, I fear the rest will turn on you."

Pietro laughed. "You make it sound so deadly. It is just fun, sister. Do not worry. I will be fine."

* * *

Tony shoved Grey out of the way and held his flower out to Pepper. "I'm sorry I'm an ass," he said. Startled by their sudden appearance, Pepper just stared at the flowers. "For earlier," he reminded her. She shook her head and smiled at him, biting back a laugh. Tony stepped forward and kissed her, slipping the flower into her hands. Some quiet, intimate mumbling passed between them, and Grey tried to pretend like she couldn't hear every word. Damn her wolf hearing. And then Tony gestured widely to Grey, announcing, "Fuck Up Number Two has something they would like to say."

She stepped forward and extended the flower. Swallowing, Grey opened her mouth to begin, but Pepper threw her arms around Grey and crushed her to her chest. "I'm so happy you're safe," she whispered. Grey returned the bone-crushing gesture, closing her eyes and letting out a soft sigh, flower forgotten. "Thank God you're here. Now you need to tell me everything. I want to know everything you've done in the past five years - I missed watching you grow into a woman."

"I'm sorry."

"You're forgiven." She kissed Grey's cheek and then stepped away to survey her niece. "Let's make some tea?"

"Gross," Grey said with a wide grin. Their difference in beverage of choice had not changed.

Pepper laughed. "Coffee it is. Let's go talk."

"Wait!" Tony cut in before the two women could go to the kitchen. "Before it gets too late, we should discuss sleeping arrangements," he said. Pepper nodded, waiting for him to continue. A wicked smile touched his face. "We only have one spare room."

Grey shrugged. "Fandral and I can share."

"You sure you want to sleep in the same bed as him? Looks like he might make a move - man can't keep his eyes off you," Tony pressed.

Grey scratched her neck. "I actually sleep on the floor and he usually takes the bed..."

"Are you sure? It's a hardwood floor?" Tony lied, glancing to Pepper. She looked as if she wanted to say something, but after telling herself they had already lived a month together in a house, she let it go. Already she wanted to leap back into her motherly role for Grey, but she recognized that the 22 year old young woman did not need the same mother that she had when she was seventeen.

"Can I have some extra blankets?"

Tony groaned. "You're no fun. Not even a blush?" He shook his head and wandered out the room. "I'm going to bed. Have fun, you two."

Grey stared after him, head tilted, confused. "Ignore him. Now, tell me what you did after you left..." They started down the stairs to the kitchen as Grey began to tell her story. She was no Asgardian spinning a yarn, but she hoped she could be compelling enough to keep her aunt's attention. She missed talking to her.

* * *

Thor shook his head. "I do not understand why you do such things, Fandral," he said. Fandral shrugged, eyes downcast. Thor gazed at his friend, sensing the depth of feeling in his hunched shoulders and beaten frame. "But the time to cease them has come. Take this as an awakening, my friend. Heimdall will forgive you, as I am sure his daughter already has. Your ways are not foreign to Asgard; this is simply the first time someone has not laughed at your antics."

Antics? Fandral simply nodded.

Thor kept watching him, waiting for that sparkle of humor that so charmed everyone. But it did not come. "You have changed," Thor stated.

Fandral shook his head. "No, I've just... I've just become easier to read." He recognized the shift. Grey made him see it. She made him see the good in himself, but the lack of distraction on Midgard proved to force him to face his flaws in quiet self-reflection. He recognized now his personal issues that manifested themselves in short, nightly conquests that he could boast about and never had to perfect, because every night was completely different. The nights all blurred. He couldn't sleep alone. He couldn't stand the silence, the buzz of his own unceasing, inexhaustible thoughts.

He remembered the first night on Midgard, spending a silent night in an abandoned building in London. The beeping of cars and alarms did nothing to silence his mind, and he ended up pacing around the small room. Grey woke up and had watched him silently. Fandral had caught her gaze in the dark and halted sheepishly. "Forgive me," he had apologized.

"Naw. What's up? Er, is something wrong?" she asked, sitting up and setting an arm on her knee.

"I, uh..." He shook his head. "I'm not used to sleeping like this."

"Yeah... Sorry, I know it's not much, but it's better than getting tracked by the police... And then I'd see her if I got caught..." She scratched her head. "I can maybe find another pillow or blanket or something if you want. I've never had company, so..."

"No, no, it's not the building. It's... the quietness. The... alone. I..." He coughed. "It's nothing. I'll just lay back down."

"You sure you're okay?"

"I am fine," he had insisted. She gazed at him, unconvinced. "I am fine!"

She shook her head. "Nothing a dog can't handle..."

In a split second she was a wolf. She bounded over to him and nuzzled his knees, letting out a soft whine and wagging her tail. Fandral chuckled. She pulled on his cloak, back towards the blankets. "Alright, alright." He lay back down. She crawled under the blankets, walked in a circle, and then curled up into his side. He turned over and wrapped his arms around her soft fur. "Thank you."

Such a simple gesture. But it ended up meaning the world to him. He never had to be alone, not as long as he had her, and for the first time he felt as if he could begin making commitments. Mayhaps he could even make good on his vow to protect Asgard.

Thor watched the daze of memories in Fandral's eyes as they walked. They stayed in silence. Thor had nothing more to say, not until Fandral gave some perspective on his situation. They passed the kitchen and Fandral did a double take, breaking out of his reverie. "Grey?"

"You're still up?" Grey questioned. Fandral grinned and stepped into the kitchen, face awash with happiness. "I cannot sleep without you by my side," he told her.

"Yeah, I've noticed," she quipped. "Can't keep up a frickin' conversation in the car, can't stay awake through Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones..."

"You run me ragged," he replied with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"You mean I kick your ass at training."

Thor and Pepper watched the exchange, one pleased to see their friendship, the other still a bit wary of its consequences. Fandral and Grey bickered back and forth, mouths tilted into smirks and hands twitching as if ready for a fight. "Alright. Tomorrow, then," Fandral proposed. "We fight and see who the better warrior is. Who is deserving of the title as part of the Warriors Three?"

"Definitely me. It sounds like Sif could use another woman around to balance out you three thick-headed testosterone orcs."

"Orcs? Now _that_ is hurtful, Grey! You really think this dashing face resembles that of an orc?" Fandral struck a pose, face turned into the light like an angel ascending.

Grey squinted her eyes. "No, you're right. You're more like Sasquatch with that beard and mustache combo."

Fandral narrowed his eyes. "We will settle this in a duel. I will return on the morrow." Then both of their faces lit ups and they high-fived, cheering, "Adventure Time!" Pepper and Thor exchanged a confused look.

"What just happened?" Asked an accented voice. All four heads turned to see Pietro and Wanda standing in the doorway.

"A joke only these two are privy to, it would seem," Thor informed the Sokovians. "And I believe it has become a revel in the kitchen!"

"And no one invited me?" Wanda and Pietro pressed themselves into the wall as Tony peered into the kitchen. He pouted. "When I said I was going to bed I thought you would join me," he whined.

Pepper pinched her nose. "My adopted daughter is right here, and you decide to say that?"

Tony grinned. "If it's not uncomfortable for everyone else it's not fun."

"Your personal motto, Stark?" a new voice asked.

"Captain!" Pietro greeted with a forced smile. Steve glanced at him, obviously unsure about his greeting, and then opted to put Tony in a headlock instead of thinking about his girlfriend's protective punk brother.

"Agh! What the hell?"

"I think this is a fire hazard," Grey joked, staring at the four bodies squished in the doorway behind two monstrous Asgardian bodies.

"I know I'm pretty sexy, but that hot?" Tony shrugged. "Well, maybe." He struggled against Steve's hold. "Seriously, gramps? Let go!"

"Are same sex interactions normal on Midgard?" Fandral asked Thor. The God belted out a deep laugh, swallowing up everyone's laughter at Steve and Tony's red faces.

"Not with someone that old!" Tony protested. Steve relented his grip and clasped his hands behind his back.

Wanda brushed her and Steve's arms together, still smiling. "You are right, Stark," she said. "It is fun when your are uncomfortable."

Tony scowled. "Time for bed, everyone! Go away!" He slunk from the kitchen.

Pepper hugged Grey and then followed the billionaire. She paused at the door to say, "Good night, everyone!" Everyone chorused a similar response and waved.

Thor gave a bow. "I return to Asgard. I will return as soon as I have come to an agreement with Heimdall," he promised Fandral. Then he left with another chorus trailing after him.

Grey raised a questioning eyebrow to mid-yawn Fandral. The blonde warrior nodded. "We're off to bed, too. I think. Uh... Anyone know where the spare room is?" she asked.

Steve chuckled. "I can show you. I think I'm going to hit the hay too, then."

Wanda nodded her agreement. She stood on her tiptoes and pecked Steve's cheek, sending a flush and smile across his face. "Night, love."

"Night," he returned. She left, Steve's eyes following her out.

Pietro shifted from foot to foot, fingers drumming an insane beat on his thigh. "G'night," he muttered and then shot out of the kitchen.

Steve jerked his head. "C'mon."

"Thanks, Captain," Grey said.

"Yes, thank you. It is most appreciated. It has been a long day."

Steve nodded. "It has been. Sorry about everything earlier. I know I shouldn't make snap judgements like that..."

Grey shrugged. "You faced the aliens, not me. Just thanks for not smashing my teeth out with your shield. As cool as that would have been - teeth knocked out by Captain America! - I do really enjoy eating things beside mashed potatoes and pureed veggies..."

Steve chuckled. "I'm glad it didn't come to that. I rather enjoy having my throat intact, too. And here it is. I trust you can figure out the rest yourselves?" he joked.

Grey scratched her head. "How do doorknobs work again?"

Fandral scoffed. "A terrible joke. Go to bed and refresh that little brain of yours."

Grey elbowed him and disappeared into the room after thanking Steve. "Good night," Steve called. He moved on down the hallway. Taking a turn, he headed to Wanda's room to see if she needed anything. But his plans halted short when he saw Pietro outside her door. Pietro glanced at Steve and then looked away. He waved at the Captain and shot away in a blur. Steve blew out a breath. _There_ was a problem he had to solve...

* * *

Grey sat up, rubbing her eyes. Suppressing a groan, she glanced over to Fandral to see his breaths come in deep and even intervals. Smiling softly, she stood from her pile of blankets on the floor and exited the bedroom into the living room. She crossed the room to stand in front of the window. It let her look over the city's nightlife, and somehow the knowledge that so many people were still awake comforted her. Curious, she glanced back at the microwave. 2:00. Blowing out a breath, she ran a hand through her hair. Long night already.

Movement caught her eye.

Confused, she looked back and froze.

Right in front of the door stood a man in a dark green cloak and a mask painted like a fox's face. His head tilted as he gazed at her. A knife glinted in his hand. "Who're you?" she growled, stepping towards the man. Her eyes flashed gold. He lifted a hand and waved, stepping backwards. Straight through the door - not a man.

Grey bounded forward and rushed out of the room into the rest of Stark Tower. She whipped her head left and right, sniffing for a strange scent. No scent. No movement. "Right behind you," it whispered. Grey yelped and swung a fist. She drew back just in time to miss the wall. When she turned again the thing hovered at the end of the hallway. The knife stuck in her shadow's head.

Snarling, she burst forth in a shower of fur, fangs, claws, and fury. The thing shot down the hall with inhuman speed, the Frost Wolf tearing after it like a dog chasing a car. She crashed into a wall when it made a sharp turn. They leaped down the stairs, right out through the front doors of the lobby. Grey drew short, claws scrabbling on the tile. She glared at the door the thing had vanished through, tongue lolling and tail still raised in challenge.

Footsteps.

Grey whirled around and snarled, ready to spring forward.

Instead Pietro faced her, hands up and body tense. "Grey?" he asked, eyes wide.

Grey shook her head and shrank back to her human form. Her bones cracked and her muscles groaned in protest, leaving her on her hands and knees on the floor, limbs quivering. "Sorry," she muttered, looking down. A shadow crossed over her and she flinched. But Pietro kneeled next to her, resting his hands on her shoulder and back.

"Are you alright?" he asked, voice thick with worry.

"Yeah, yeah... Midnight run?" she offered with a humorous smile.

But Pietro didn't look convinced. "What happened? You look..." he paused to search for the right word. "Ragged."

Grey let out an airy laugh and then moved to sit back. "Can't sleep. Nightmares... Kind of..."

Pietro glanced at the door. "The masked man?" Grey's head snapped to him. He stared at the door, beginning to feel sick in his stomach. "He was in my room... watching me." Grey stared at the door, too. They sat in silence for a minute or so, lost in thought, Pietro's hand still on her shoulder. Their breaths filled the silence. Adrenaline and fear pumped through their veins. "Want to watch a movie?" he asked.

Grey nodded. Anything but vulnerable sleep. "I don't want to leave Fandral."

"The main room is between all the rooms. We can be close to everyone from there," he pointed out. Even if Wanda and Steve were together, he didn't want to leave Wanda vulnerable, either. "We will alert everyone in the morning. Let them sleep for now." After Grey nodded her approval they got up and together started back up the tower. A long night it would indeed be.

 **Sorry about my absence! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

"What the hell is that?" Tony exclaimed. "It just jumped right through the walls!"

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Steve demanded, eyes hard on the security footage.

"If I could not catch it, what could you have done?" Pietro pointed out. "Grey could not pick up a scent, either. We could not track it, could not catch it. Why send everyone into a panic over something out of our control? We thought it best to wait until morning, when everyone can calmly think things through."

"Vision or Wanda could have read its mind," Steve argued, but even he was faltering from his stance.

"It would have been gone too fast!" Pietro snapped back. Steve turned to press his point anyway, and Pietro drew himself to his full height to meet the Captain's words. Meanwhile, Tony kept flipping through the footage, eyes dark. Wanda watched it, blocking out her brother and boyfriend's heated argument. Fandral tilted his head to the side, brow furrowed. Grey glanced at him. He met her gaze and frowned. She gestured to everyone, urging him to speak.

"That mask, I have seen it before," Fandral finally said.

Tony looked back at him. "Where from, Robin Hood?"

"Asgard. It's the mask that the executioners wear... I don't know who on Midgard would have such a thing. I've never seen a power like that, either." Fandral folded his arms and tilted his head, eyes dark.

"Perhaps it's a mutant?" Grey suggested.

"A mutant from Asgard?" Tony repeated, looking at Grey as if she just told him that humans came from outer space. She scowled at him.

"Maybe not a mutant," Fandral agreed. He runs his fingers along his mustache. "But that speed... Did you feel any temperature difference when you fought it? See any ice or anything?" Wanda watches the footage as Tony goes through it again, keeping her eyes pricked for any frost as the Asgardian was suggesting.

"No. I didn't. Pietro, did you?" All four turned their heads to the mutant boy, but instead of paying any mind to their conversation, he and Steve were just about nose to nose uttering threats and challenges. "Hey! Sonic!" Grey snapped. She grabbed the collar of his shirt and tugged him away from Steve. Giving him a good shake, she asked, "Did anything feel cold to you last night? Or hot?"

Pietro tore his icy glare from Captain. "No. I felt nothing."

Grey looked at Fandral, who just shrugged. "I thought maybe it was someone from Jotunheim. Perhaps someone looking for you."

"But if they were looking for her, wouldn't they have just taken her? There was nothing any of us could have done to stop it," Wanda said.

Fandral folded his arms over his chest and furrowed his brow at the screen, nodding in agreement. "It is odd. I do not think my... theory? Yes, I do not think my theory was correct," Fandral stated. Grey gave him a fist bump for using the correct word. Wanda smiled at the exchange. "I have no other theories, however. I do believe we should have Thor go through this. Or perhaps Vision? He may bring fresh perspective to this problem."

"Vision's off doing things," Tony vaguely remarked. "Looking for Bruce. This is _not_ okay. How do we even up security for this? None of the security guards saw it." Happy had thrown a fit when he saw the footage. Tony winced at the memory, terrified for a few moments that his friend was going to have stroke from the fury coursing through him.

"We could move to the new facilities," Steve suggested. Tony looked back at him. "You said they would be finished this month, right?"

"Yeah. I did." Tony rubbed his face. He waved them all away. "We'll see about the... move. I'll try and signal Thor, and Dr. Foster as long as he's hanging around. You all just go do whatever it is you kids do. And you, Capsicle. Go play Bingo or something." Steve rolled his eyes but left with the rest of them.

Once they got outside, Fandral stopped Pietro in the hall. He signaled to the rest to keep on, but Grey remained while Steve and Wanda continued. "What?" Pietro asked. The speedster cast his eyes after his sister, face darkening. "I would like to go to bed. It was a long night."

Fandral lifted Pietro's arm and then inclined his head. "Grey, if you could pull up his shirt?"

"Do I not get a date before you undress me?"

Grey smirked and pulled up his shirt. She winced when she saw the two punctures in his side, angry red. "That is not a sword wound," Fandral remarked. He let go of Pietro's arm and gently touched the area around the wound. "Snake bite. Fresh. You sustained it last night and told no one. Are you a fool?"

Pietro jerked away from them and yanked his shirt down. "I did not want to scare Wanda. I was going to the infirmary now," he lied. Then he paused. "How could you tell?"

"You favor that side when you walk," Fandral answered. He pointed to the elevator. "Come to Grey's and my room. I think I have a potion from Asgard that will suffice in expelling the poison. We can take care of it while you explain your entire encounter with the beast." The blonde warrior glanced at Grey. "I have a new theory."

"I have no doubt that it's better than the shit floating around my head. You okay to walk, Pietro?"

"Fine," he muttered. He folded his arms and grumbled a few curses in Russian. Grey gave him a once-over and found that he indeed favored that side in just the slightest bend of his torso. She couldn't believe that she failed to notice last night. "Can I run ahead? You both walk too slow," he informed them, fingers twitching. Grey waved him on. Then he vanished.

"He should be dead," Fandral stated.

"Glad he's not and you caught it. So what's your theory? And how are you going to take care of that bite, exactly?"

"You forget that I do all things with might and dedication." Grey snorted. Fandral smacked her upside the head and continued, "I always travel with a pouch of medicinal supplies. I was lucky enough to be wearing it when I was transported here. But my theory... How familiar are you with Asgard and its prophecies?"

Grey lifted her hands. "Thor commands thunder and doesn't require sacrifices for worship."

"Wonderful. So you know nothing of Ragnarok?"

"I know it's the end of the world. Er, the nine realms," she answered.

"Yes." Fandral paused. "If these prophecies are true, then... Well, you have two siblings, one of which is a snake. According to these prophecies, the snake will kill Thor, and the wolf," here he gestured to Grey, "Odin the All-Father." Grey blanched at that. "Of course, given that some details, such as Fenrir being male, are untrue, I do not know how accurate they are, or how concrete. But there is a possibility that someone is trying to begin Ragnarok."

"Sucky time to be away from Asgard."

Fandral gave a bitter laugh. "An understatement, dear friend."

They entered the room and found Pietro staring at a chalk-drawn square full of lines on the hardwood floor. "Summoning demons?" he asked.

"I was teaching Fandral Go. And Checkers. And Chess. Why don't you just sit down? I'd rather you not keel over on my perfect chalk lines. It took time!"

"Sit on the sofa," Fandral ordered. Pietro obeyed him in a flash of movement. The Asgardian disappeared into his room briefly before returning with a small leather pouch. He gestured to Grey. "Bring me a towel?" He knelt down next to Pietro and pushed his shirt up. "Please hold it there. Oh, and please bring some warm water, too!"

Grey returned a short while later, as Pietro took some clear liquid like a shot. He pulled a face. "Not honey, surely," Fandral chuckled. He took the bottle from Pietro and set it beside him. Grey handed him the towel and water, and the Asgardian set to work on the snake bite. "I am amazed that you managed so long without an utterance of pain," he told the mutant. "Many would cry."

"I am strong man," he replied in the thickest accent he could muster, earning a smirk from Grey.

"Grey, when I finish could you place the bandage on him?" Fandral asked, oblivious of Pietro's stereotypical Slavic man act. "I would like to wash my hands of the blood."

"'Course," she replied, kneeling down next to him. Pietro let his head fall back and he stared at the ceiling. "How you doing there, strong man?"

"Bored," he muttered. He looked back down at them. "And I would rather Grey's hands were on me."

"Sorry for the inconvenience," Fandral 'apologized'. "You'll sleep soon enough, anyway," Fandral promised. "Here, Grey. Now, if you two will excuse me..."

Grey scooted over as Fandral left. "That was really fast," she remarked. She pressed the bandage over the wound. Pietro let his shirt fall the moment she removed her hands. "Why didn't you say something last night?" Grey asked. She touched his knee.

Pietro scratched his head and looked away, cheeks reddening just the slightest. "I... I was scared." He twiddled his thumbs together and shrugged. "The last thing I wanted was to admit weakness. I've only just recovered my strength. The last thing I wanted was to lose it again when I might need it most... I didn't want to worry you, either. You were just as terrified, and adding another worry to your list only would have hurt our tiny sense of security in that defenseless room."

Grey sighed and scratched her head before standing up to sit beside him. "Thank you," she finally spoke. "It was stupid, but it was right..." As much for his own sake as for hers, Pietro had been an absolute clown all night, serving to entertain her with poor juggling and cracking even worse jokes. Even when they had both grown quiet with tired exhaustion and had been staring at the mindless food network shows, he stood behind her, forearms leaning on the couch. Ever present, ever comforting.

Pietro chuckled. "You would have panicked?"

"Probably," she admitted. "But seriously - don't do that, alright? If you're hurt I'll quell the panic. Your life is far more important than my comfort."

He smirked. "Are you worried about me?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed, making him blink. He had expected a snarky response. "Don't die! I enjoy having someone other than Fandral to look at. Seriously - an entire month and the only face I see is Robin Hood's. I almost went bat-shit crazy! And Wanda would kill us all. Not that I've known you two very long, but it's pretty obvious."

Pietro smiled and sat back on the couch, relaxing into its cushions and leaning over. "Good. Harm her and answer to me. Now, if you are done speaking we can sleep now?" His eyelids refused to stay open.

"Damn, what was in that weird liquid?"

"Unicorns and dreams," Pietro answered, setting his head on her shoulder. His eyes wouldn't even open now. "Now let me enjoy them. The dreams." And in a second he drifted off. Grey tapped his face. Nothing. Fandral stepped back into the room, saw them, smirked, and waved.

"No, wait, Fandral! Get back here! Get him off!" she shout-whispered.

"Enjoy your nap!"

"Faaaaandraaal," she whined. The door clicked shut. Gone. Grey sighed and looked down at the sleeping Sokovian. Sleep did sound nice. Careful not to jar his side, she maneuvered them to lie down on the couch. Pietro pretty much draped over her like a blanket, but she decided she rather liked the warmth. Sure beat the cold she felt in her limbs the night before.

* * *

"Fandral!" Thor shouted. Fandral turned in the large training room, slipping his rapier back into its thin, black sheath. Sweat dripped from him onto the floor. In even worse shape stood Happy in a fencing outfit, chest heaving. "Come, I have secured your return to Asgard. Heimdall has forgiven you, and all of Asgard misses you. Especially Volstagg."

"What of Grey?" Fandral asked, stomach tightening. He wiped his forehead on the sleeve of his shirt. Tony and Steve stood next to Thor, Stark looking absolutely ecstatic about seeing Happy in his white outfit. His grin rivaled that of a wolf's, earning a rude gesture from Happy. Steve, fully uniformed, stepped into the ring with them. He removed his shield from his back and lifted it to protect his torso.

"We will test her abilities, first. She will come to Asgard as well, but we must assess how much control she has," Thor explained. He gestured to Captain America with his hammer. "Captain here would like to warm up before fighting with Grey. Care to oblige him?"

Fandral grinned. "It would be rude to decline. Oh, I also think that the Man of Iron should retrieve Grey from our room. She is in a potentially compromising position that I believe he will thoroughly enjoy jesting about." He winked at Tony.

"Compromising?" Tony ran to the door. "I really like your friend, Thor." And then he was gone.

Fandral turned to Captain. "A warm up? How do you want to fight?"

"At our best," he answered. Fandral nodded. Lightning-quick, Fandral's sword scraped along Captain's shield.

"You're fast!" Steve grunted as he leaped backwards to avoid Fandral's upwards swipe. He lunged and slammed his fist into Fandral's side. The Asgardian kneed him in the stomach. Then Fandral jumped back a few steps, far enough to resume his sword dancing. He kept Captain at a distance, never letting the super soldier close enough to use his fists. Not until he ducked behind his shield and charged.

Fandral felt her before he heard her. He spun away from Captain's shield smashing move, stepping aside just in time for Grey's slavering jaws to crash against freedom's symbol. They both fell to the ground in a heap. She dislodged herself from their spinning whirlwind of fangs and fists on the mat and launched herself at Fandral. The Asgardian met her halfway. He kicked her in the snout and whipped his sword through the air. "Back!" he commanded, driving the wolf backwards.

Tony burst back into the room. "Holy shit, is she mad!" he cackled. Grey feinted to one side. Fandral fell for it. She bounded forward and seized his pants leg, yanking him with _to the ground with a thud._ She lifted her head, proud.

"Your fight's with me!" Steve shouted. He barreled into her with his shield, throwing her to the ground. But this time she leaped up and latched her teeth on the edge of his shield. His eyes grew wide as she growled and tore the shield from Captain's hands, tossing it aside. She crept toward him, hair on end, ears back, tail up, teeth bared, eyes flashing. With a snarl she leaped and mowed him to the ground. Then she licked his face and barked. Steve laughed and pushed her off of him. "You win, you win. Overgrown puppy."

And then light crashed down around them.


End file.
